Faure Island Sanctuary - Conservation Programs
Radio-tracking Faure Island Sanctuary
Faure Island was formerly managed as a pastoral lease, running sheep and goats. After acquisition by AWC, and with support from its donors, these pastoral activities were replaced with an active program of on-ground management to restore the natural values of the island that form an important component of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area.
A major mammal restoration program has been established at the Faure Island Sanctuary, to reintroduce a suite of threatened mammals that were once common in the region.
AWC’s key management priorities at the Faure Island Sanctuary include:
- Development of a co-operative arrangement with DEC incorporating biological survey, feral animal eradication and native mammal translocations.
- Staged removal and confinement of sheep
- Eradication of feral goats
- Eradication of feral cats
- Release of five threatened mammal species including the Burrowing Bettong (Boodie), Shark Bay Mouse, Banded Hare-wallaby, Western Barred Bandicoot and Greater Sticknest Rat
- Removal of the noxious weed, African Boxthorn
- Regular, standardised monitoring of threatened species
- Support for a postgraduate study of Burrowing Bettong genetics and ecology